Cigarette dispenser



March 18, 1947. I A, CA P S 2,417,631

CIGARETTE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 22, 1944 2 Sheets-shet 1 63 f x9 I 111-1in WIIIIIIIIISYIIIIIIIIII jn040 Cam 90 .5,

Match 18, 1947. A. CAMPOS 2,417,631

C IGARE'ITE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 22, 1944 -2 Sheets-Shet 2 J E 0. W

Patented Mar. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE DISPENSERAdolph Campos, Clifton, N. J.

Application December 22, 1944, Serial No. 569,391

2 Claims. 1

This invention appertains to article dispensing devices generally, andmore particularly to a type thereof for dispensing cigarettes and thelike.

One of the several objects of the invention is to provide a novel formof holder or magazine of this kind and designed to receive a limitednumber of cigarettes, e. g., the content of a standard package, fromwhich they may be readily and easily dispensed, as required.

Another object of the invention has to do with the provision of adispenser for cigarettes, which takes the form of an attachment to ashreceivers, trays or stands, the same to be bracketed on the tray for itssupport in a position convenient for the removal of the cigarettes bythe user, and in a manner to harmonize with the tray structure forattractiveness in appearance.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a cigarettedispensing device as hereinbefore characterized, which is constituted ofa hollow casing that is open at its top and provided with a restrictedopening in its bottom, the latter opening being normally closed by amovable member to control the discharge of the cigarettes therefrom andthe top opening by an overlying part of a bracket from which the casingis detachably supported in position above the center,

of the tray.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionresides in the certain new and useful combination, construction, andarrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, setforth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of the cigarettedispensing attachment and its mounting, in accordance with theinvention, a portion of the ash receiver being bro-ken away to show apoint of securement of the mounting to the ash tray part of thereceiver;

Figure 2 is-an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view, partly in section,of the mounting bracket, showing the means for detachably securing thedispensing device thereon;

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the dispensing device, with thesupporting bracket shown in cross-section;

Figure 4 is a vertical, longitudinal section, taken through the line 4-4on Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a vertical, transverse section, taken through the line 5--5on Figure 4;

' Figure 6 is a horizontal section, taken through the line 6-6 on Figure4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 i an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional detail, showing theholding and guide means for tiers of cigarettes placed within the casingof the dispensing device; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional detai1,taken through theline 88 on Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like characters ofreference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and moreparticularly to Figure 1, the cigarette dispenser and the mountingtherefor, as exemplified therein, are shown in assembly with an ashreceiver which, while not constituting an essential part of the instantinvention, is preferably made up of a hollow base A to have ashes andbutts dumped into the same from a. tray B supported on its top. Asshown, the dispenser is supported from the under side of a centralportion of a bracket ID that is made of strap metal and bent to form anarch which has its ends secured at diametrically opposite points on thetray B.

The dispensing device is comprised of a hollow casing I 2, preferablymade rectangular in form and fully open at its top and with a restricteddischarge opening in its bottom; the latter being preferablysemi-circular in cross section, with the discharge opening extendingcentrally and longitudinally thereof. A closure I i for the dischargeopening is made arcuate in cross section to conform to the externalcontour of the bottom of the casing and is provided with angled wings 16at its ends which are substantially triangular in form and extendupwardly of the outer sides of the end walls of the casing forengagement with pivots l8, projecting from the end walls for thepurpose, by which arrangement, the closure gravitates to close thedischarge opening when ever it is moved to open position to dispense acigarette and thereafter released. A finger iece Zll is provided on thelower side of th closure M, for its manipulation and a pair of stop 2 2are provided on the end walls of the casing to limit its openingmovement in either direction from opposite sides of the casing.

Formed on the inner side of eachof the end walls of the casing I 2, is apair of vertical ribs 24, which are spaced apart to either side of thedischarge opening, to form guide channels between the same and the sideWalls of the casing to receive the ends of cigarettes inserted inwardlyof the top opening. Thus, cigarettes are housed within the casing intiers for the gravity feed of the same to and through the dischargeopening, the lowermost cigarette of the central tier being supported onthe closure [4, within the discharge opening, when the casing is filled.In order to dispense cigarettes from the central tier, before those ofthe outer tiers are made available for the purpose, bafiies 26 arepositioned in the paths of the latter, at the lower end of each of theirrespective channels. Each of these baffles is made of a length of stiffwire having angularly bent ends 28 journalled in the end walls of thecasing and terminating exteriorly thereof in knurled circular fingerpieces 30, by means of which it may be swung to one side of the path ofthe cigarettes for subsequent discharge from the casing. The innerportions of the bent ends 28 are formed to provide offsets 32 whichengage in recesses formed in the lower end portions of the ribs 24 toretain the bafiles 26 in place to block the discharge of the cigarettesin the outer of the channels, the oifsets snapping into and out of suchengagement, when the baliies are turned by the finger pieces 30. Whenthus latched in their operative positions, the baffles 26 align with theribs 24 and the horizontal portions thereof bridge the spaces below thelower ends of the latter which terminate above the bottom of the casing,said spaces constituting exits for the cigarettes from the outer of thechannels, as is best shown in Figure 5.

As before stated, the dispenser is detachably supported from the underside of the central portion of the bracket 10 and, to this end, the topedges of the end walls of the casing l2 are recessed, as at 34, to seatthe bracket portion therein, so that the like edges of the side walls ofthe casing closely engage the side edges of the bracket portion.Immediately below the bracket portion, the side walls of the casing areformed with horizontal slots 36 for the engagement therein of the endsof a latch bar 38, which is carried on a spindle 40 depending through anopening in the bracket portion for a turn-button 42. To preventaccidental release of the latch bar 38, from the slots 36, depressions44 are formed therein, at opposite sides of the spindle 4B, for theengagement of the same with projections 46, carried on the under side ofthe bracket portion, substantially as shown in Figure 8. An arched guard48 is mounted on the top side of the bracket portion to partiallyenclose the turnbutton 42 and it may be used as a finger-hold forlifting the ash tray B from the base receptacle A.

In making use of the dispensing device, as thus constructed andarranged, the casing i2 is to be detached from the bracket I by turningthe latch bar 38 to disengage its ends from the slots 36. With itsremoval, the casing is filled by inserting the required number ofcigarettes inwardly of the top opening, with their ends engaged in eachpair of the channels in the opposite end walls of the casing, thebaiiles 26 having first been set at their operative positions to closeoff the exits at the lower ends of the outer of the channels, in Whichpositions, the offsets 32 are engaged in the recesses of the ribs 24.With the casing filled in this manner, it will again be secured in placeon the bracket 10, by turning the latch bar 38 to engage its ends in theslots 36. To remove a cigarette, pressure of a finger on the fingerpiece 20 will swing the closure I G to one side of the discharge openingin the bottom of the casing l2, when the lowermost of the cigarettes inthe central tier will drop from the discharge into the tray B. or it maybe caught in the free hand. Upon the release of finger pressure on thefinger piece 20, the closure M will gravitate to position to close thedischarge opening. When the central tier of cigarettes has beenexhausted. those in one or the other of the outer of the channels willbe made available for discharge from the casing I2, by grasping a fingerpiece 30, at one or the other ends of the casing, and turning it in adirection to disenga e the offsets 32, of the selected baffle, fromtheir respective latching recesses, in the ribs 24, and swing the bafileon its pivots 28 and into the central channel. As the baffle clears thechannel exit, the lowermost of the cigarettes will pass from the channeland roll into the discharge opening, coming to rest on the closure M.The baflle will be left in its unlatched position until all of thecigarettes of this tier are exhausted, when it will be returned tolatched condition. to clear the central channel to receive the otherbafile for the dispensing of the cigarettes from the remaining outerchannel.

Without furt er descript on, it is thought that the attractiveness,novel y. and convenience. resident in the disclosed cigaret e d penser ad ash receiver combination, will be obv ous to the manufacturer ofsmokers appliances and readily a preciated by the cigarette smokingpublic. Also, it is to be understood that chan es in design and minordetails in the construction and arran ement of parts, of the dis enserand the mounting therefor, may be resorted to, within the limits set bythe scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a dispensing device for ci arettes, the comb nation of an ashtray, including an upwardly bowed bracket supported crosswise andcentrally thereof, and a hollow casing open at its too and having arestricted discharge opening in itsbottom, means for detachably securinsa d casing to the underside of said bracket. a medial portion of saidbracket overlying said cas g and closing its too opening, a membercarried by the lower end of said casing and movable rela ive to sa drestricted d scharge opening for dis e sing the ci arettes therefrom,said cas ng having at least three vertical guide channels formed in theinner sides of its end walls and terminating in a plane above saiddischarge ope ing. sa d channels being engaged by the ends of cigarettesinserted inwardly of the top opening of t e ca sing upon the removal ofthe latter from said bracket, the intermediate of said channe s beingdirectly in line with said discharge opening. and means at the lowerends of the other of said channels to retain cigarettes therein pendingthe dischar e of the cigarettes from said intermediate channel.

2. In a dispensing device for cigarettes. the combination of an ashtray, including an upwardly bowed bracket su ported crosswise andcentrally thereof, and a hollow cas ng open at its top and having arestricted discharge opening in its bottom, means for detachablysecuring said casing to the underside of said bracket, a medial portionof said bracket overlying said casing and closing its top opening, and amember carried by the lower end of said casin and movable relative tosaid restricted discharge opening for dispensing the cigarettestherefrom, said means being in the form of a latch bar supported forturning movements immediately beneath the center of said bracket, aturn-button on the upper side of the bracket and operatively connectedwith said. latch bar, said casing having 5 6 slots in its side wallsadapted to be engaged by the ends of said latch bar when the latter isUNITED STATES PATENTS turned to a. position transversely of the bracketNumber Name Date and casing, 957,720 Starr May 10, 1910 ADOLPH M 0 5340,732 Quilliam Apr. 27, 1886 1,243,344 Roda] Oct. 16, 1917 REFERENCESCITED 903,063 Duckworth Nov. 3, 1908 1 902 599 Vernet Mar. 21 1933 Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent: 71,972,591 Hnath Sept. 4, 1934 10 1,538,978 Fleming May 26, 1925

